India uses excessive repression in occupied Kashmir, reports Amnesty

Indian authorities are using repressive laws to curb freedom of expression, says Amnesty International 2016-17 report

ISLAMABAD: Repression in occupied Kashmir features prominently in the Amnesty International's 2016-17 report, claiming that the Indian authorities are using repressive laws to curb freedom of expression and silence critical voices.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the Amnesty report, which was released on Tuesday, said that the Indian forces used unnecessary or excessive force against demonstrators in held Kashmir.



The report, titled, The State of the World's Human Rights, analysis of the situation in 159 countries, highlighted the arrest of Kashmiri human rights defender, Khurram Parvez and also drew attention towards the ban on English daily Kashmir Reader in October last year.

Referring to the ban imposed by the authorities on publication of local newspapers for three days in July, the report stated that "in September, Khurram Parvez, a Kashmiri human rights defender, was arrested and detained for over two months on spurious grounds, a day after he was prevented from travelling to a UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Switzerland."



"In October, the government ordered a Srinagar-based newspaper to cease printing and publication on vague grounds," it added.

During the civil uprising in occupied Kashmir that erupted after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8, more than 100 civilians were killed and 13,000 injured while the Indian administration imposed two-month long curfew.

"A suspension on private landline, mobile and internet service providers undermined a range of rights and residents said it left them unable to reach urgent medical assistance," the report mentions.